Father charged in Illinois two girls deaths

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 04:46 PM

Father charged in girls' deaths
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 6:34 PM EDT (2234 GMT)

Jerry Hobbs faces two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter and best friend.

ZION, Illinois (CNN) -- Police have taken Jerry Hobbs into custody and charged him with murdering his 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias.

The two friends are believed to have been stabbed to death Sunday on Mother's Day.

He was reported to have found the girls' bodies early Monday in a park just blocks away from their elementary school, said police in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago.

Hobbs, 34, could face the death penalty. But Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said whether to pursue the death penalty was not a decision he wanted to make "in the heat of the moment."

"The arrest today is the first step in the process of bringing this person to justice," Waller said.

Waller said the girls were not lured to the park, rather they encountered Hobbs there.

Hobbs' bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

He was released from prison in Texas last month after serving nearly two years for violating his probation. He had been serving time after pleading guilty to assault in 2002, said Rick Mahler, an assistant district attorney in Wichita Falls, Texas.

"He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived."

Hobbs was arrested again in 2003 after failing to show up for visits with his probation officer and skipping anger management classes.

School Superintendent Connie Collins said the killings have left the community "in terrible shock." (Full story)

"It's very difficult to begin to understand something like this," Collins said. "It's something that was not expected. In a community like this, we have never had this type of experience, so it's been very difficult for everyone."

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 04:48 PM

Sick Bastage

**Rain Man** · 05-10-2005, 05:17 PM

He killed his own daughter in the park on a chance encounter? Am I missing something?

siberian khatru · 05-10-2005, 05:39 PM

Quote:

"He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived."

KCChiefsMan · 05-10-2005, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-Mac

Father charged in girls' deaths
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 6:34 PM EDT (2234 GMT)

"He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived."

I bet that the person who hit him with the shovel is STILL in prison for that

**Iowanian** · 05-10-2005, 05:41 PM

Put an American flag teeshirt on him, duct tape his hands behind him and airdrop him into Tikrit, with a "allah Humps Male Pigs" sign.

**Bob Dole** · 05-10-2005, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

He killed his own daughter in the park on a chance encounter? Am I missing something?

Bob Dole had the same question while reading the article.

Perhaps the girl's mother had custody and he wasn't sceduled for a visit?

Simplex3 · 05-10-2005, 05:47 PM

I just like how the article acts like we're deciding if we should kill him or not despite the fact that he hasn't even been convicted yet.

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowanian

Put an American flag teeshirt on him, duct tape his hands behind him and airdrop him into Tikrit, with a "allah Humps Male Pigs" sign.

Now your talking, sounds fair to me.

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 06:05 PM

Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls in Illinois
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: May 10, 2005
The father of one of two young girls found stabbed to death in a park on Monday was arrested and charged today with two counts of murder, easing the fear but not the shock that has gripped the town of Zion, Ill., since the girls were reported missing on Mother's Day.

The charges against the father, Jerry Hobbs, were announced at a televised news conference this afternoon by the Lake County state's attorney, Michael J. Waller. Both children had been beaten and stabbed, he said at the press briefing in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Officials said there were no obvious indications of sexual assault.

"This horrible crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and, I think it's safe to say, people of good will everywhere," said Mr. Waller, who described it as the "most horrific crime" he had seen in 30 years in law enforcement.

Mr. Hobbs reported finding the bodies of his missing 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend Krystal Tobias, 9, early Monday while he and Laura's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, who is Mr. Hobbs's father-in-law, searched Beulah Park, in Zion.

Laura and Krystal had been bicycling and playing in the neighborhood on Sunday, Mother's Day. When they did not return home that night, their families called the police.

Mr. Hollabaugh told The Associated Press today that he and Mr. Hobbs began searching at first light on Monday and eventually spotted a child's bicycle in the bushes part way down a wooded ravine in the park.

Minutes later, he said, Mr. Hobbs screamed that he had found the girls' bodies. "I went and I seen them from a distance," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "It was clear they were laying there."

Mr. Hollabaugh said he did not believe that his son-in-law had killed the girls.

"Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault, and I think they're holding that against him," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "I don't think he did it."
During today's news conference, Mr. Waller said he could not provide details about the evidence against Mr. Hobbs because state law bars such disclosures until a suspect has had a bond hearing. Mr. Hobbs's hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday.

"We believe we have a compelling case against this defendant, and that will come out in due course," Mr. Waller said.

The prosecutor did say that Mr. Hobbs' actions after he was questioned by the authorities had "piqued the officers' interest" in him as a possible suspect. Mr. Waller declined to describe those actions.

Mayor Lane Harrison told reporters at the news conference that word that the killings did not appear to have been the work of a stranger might help calm his town of 22,000. But, Mayor Harrison added, "We will all have questions until the day we die."

Citing records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating to 1990 in Texas, including arrests for assault and resisting arrest.

The records also show that Mr. Hobbs has had a rocky relationship with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh. Mr. Hobbs was arrested in 2001 after arguing with her, grabbing a chainsaw and chasing residents around the Texas trailer park where they lived at the time, according to an assistant district attorney in Wichita County, Rick Mahler. Mr. Hobbs was eventually subdued by a blow to the back with a shovel, Mr. Mahler told The Associated Press.

Mr. Hobbs was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to 10 years' probation, but he failed to appear for his required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned until his release on April 12, the news service reported.

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobChief

Bob Dole had the same question while reading the article.

Perhaps the girl's mother had custody and he wasn't sceduled for a visit?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter...tory?id=745597

"Hobbs had been living with the Hollabaughs after his release, Arthur Hollabaugh said. He said he worried authorities might be trying to railroad Hobbs in their search for the girls' killer."

C-Mac · 05-10-2005, 06:14 PM

http://www.nbc5.com/news/4470540/det...17&dppid=65193

"Chicago television station WMAQ reported that authorities said that Hobbs had confessed to the crimes. Laura Hobbs had been grounded for the weekend, but her mother had lifted the punishment on Mother's Day, angering the girl's father, WMAQ reported."

chiefs4me · 05-10-2005, 07:43 PM

sick mother****er.....I pray he gets his in prison.

Uncle Fester · 05-10-2005, 07:59 PM

If he did indeed confess, shoot the ****er!

chiefs4me · 05-11-2005, 08:47 AM

Anybody read any more about this.....like why the sick SOB did it?

05-10-2005, 04:46 PM
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2073699	Father charged in Illinois two girls deaths Father charged in girls' deaths Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Posted: 6:34 PM EDT (2234 GMT) Jerry Hobbs faces two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter and best friend. ZION, Illinois (CNN) -- Police have taken Jerry Hobbs into custody and charged him with murdering his 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend, 9-year-old Krystal Tobias. The two friends are believed to have been stabbed to death Sunday on Mother's Day. He was reported to have found the girls' bodies early Monday in a park just blocks away from their elementary school, said police in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Hobbs, 34, could face the death penalty. But Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller said whether to pursue the death penalty was not a decision he wanted to make "in the heat of the moment." "The arrest today is the first step in the process of bringing this person to justice," Waller said. Waller said the girls were not lured to the park, rather they encountered Hobbs there. Hobbs' bond hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning. He was released from prison in Texas last month after serving nearly two years for violating his probation. He had been serving time after pleading guilty to assault in 2002, said Rick Mahler, an assistant district attorney in Wichita Falls, Texas. "He started chasing people around with a chainsaw that was running," Mahler said. "Somebody hit him with a shovel, knocked him down. Those people held him until the police arrived." Hobbs was arrested again in 2003 after failing to show up for visits with his probation officer and skipping anger management classes. School Superintendent Connie Collins said the killings have left the community "in terrible shock." (Full story) "It's very difficult to begin to understand something like this," Collins said. "It's something that was not expected. In a community like this, we have never had this type of experience, so it's been very difficult for everyone."
Posts: 5,636

05-10-2005, 04:48 PM	#2
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2073699	Sick Bastage Attached Thumbnails
Posts: 5,636

05-10-2005, 05:17 PM	#3
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3038491 VARSITY	He killed his own daughter in the park on a chance encounter? Am I missing something? __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
Posts: 141,663

05-10-2005, 05:41 PM	#6
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $4638454	Put an American flag teeshirt on him, duct tape his hands behind him and airdrop him into Tikrit, with a "allah Humps Male Pigs" sign.
Posts: 61,556

05-10-2005, 05:47 PM	#8
Simplex3 MVP Join Date: Sep 2003 Casino cash: $10004900	I just like how the article acts like we're deciding if we should kill him or not despite the fact that he hasn't even been convicted yet.
Posts: 28,527

05-10-2005, 06:05 PM	#10
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2073699	Father Arrested in Slaying of Two Girls in Illinois By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS Published: May 10, 2005 The father of one of two young girls found stabbed to death in a park on Monday was arrested and charged today with two counts of murder, easing the fear but not the shock that has gripped the town of Zion, Ill., since the girls were reported missing on Mother's Day. The charges against the father, Jerry Hobbs, were announced at a televised news conference this afternoon by the Lake County state's attorney, Michael J. Waller. Both children had been beaten and stabbed, he said at the press briefing in Zion, about 45 miles north of Chicago. Officials said there were no obvious indications of sexual assault. "This horrible crime has terrorized and traumatized the Zion community and, I think it's safe to say, people of good will everywhere," said Mr. Waller, who described it as the "most horrific crime" he had seen in 30 years in law enforcement. Mr. Hobbs reported finding the bodies of his missing 8-year-old daughter, Laura, and her best friend Krystal Tobias, 9, early Monday while he and Laura's grandfather, Arthur Hollabaugh, who is Mr. Hobbs's father-in-law, searched Beulah Park, in Zion. Laura and Krystal had been bicycling and playing in the neighborhood on Sunday, Mother's Day. When they did not return home that night, their families called the police. Mr. Hollabaugh told The Associated Press today that he and Mr. Hobbs began searching at first light on Monday and eventually spotted a child's bicycle in the bushes part way down a wooded ravine in the park. Minutes later, he said, Mr. Hobbs screamed that he had found the girls' bodies. "I went and I seen them from a distance," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "It was clear they were laying there." Mr. Hollabaugh said he did not believe that his son-in-law had killed the girls. "Jerry just got out of prison for aggravated assault, and I think they're holding that against him," Mr. Hollabaugh told The A.P. "I don't think he did it." During today's news conference, Mr. Waller said he could not provide details about the evidence against Mr. Hobbs because state law bars such disclosures until a suspect has had a bond hearing. Mr. Hobbs's hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday. "We believe we have a compelling case against this defendant, and that will come out in due course," Mr. Waller said. The prosecutor did say that Mr. Hobbs' actions after he was questioned by the authorities had "piqued the officers' interest" in him as a possible suspect. Mr. Waller declined to describe those actions. Mayor Lane Harrison told reporters at the news conference that word that the killings did not appear to have been the work of a stranger might help calm his town of 22,000. But, Mayor Harrison added, "We will all have questions until the day we die." Citing records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Hobbs has an extensive criminal history dating to 1990 in Texas, including arrests for assault and resisting arrest. The records also show that Mr. Hobbs has had a rocky relationship with Laura's mother, Sheila Hollabaugh. Mr. Hobbs was arrested in 2001 after arguing with her, grabbing a chainsaw and chasing residents around the Texas trailer park where they lived at the time, according to an assistant district attorney in Wichita County, Rick Mahler. Mr. Hobbs was eventually subdued by a blow to the back with a shovel, Mr. Mahler told The Associated Press. Mr. Hobbs was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to 10 years' probation, but he failed to appear for his required meetings, so his probation was revoked in 2003 and he was imprisoned until his release on April 12, the news service reported.
Posts: 5,636

05-10-2005, 06:14 PM	#12
C-Mac Lurker Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Wally World Casino cash: $2073699	http://www.nbc5.com/news/4470540/det...17&dppid=65193 "Chicago television station WMAQ reported that authorities said that Hobbs had confessed to the crimes. Laura Hobbs had been grounded for the weekend, but her mother had lifted the punishment on Mother's Day, angering the girl's father, WMAQ reported."
Posts: 5,636

05-10-2005, 07:43 PM	#13
chiefs4me Whatever.. Join Date: Sep 2004 Casino cash: $10004900	sick mother****er.....I pray he gets his in prison.
Posts: 9,512

05-10-2005, 07:59 PM	#14
Uncle Fester Starter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Denver Casino cash: $10004900	If he did indeed confess, shoot the ****er!
Posts: 524

05-11-2005, 08:47 AM	#15
chiefs4me Whatever.. Join Date: Sep 2004 Casino cash: $10004900	Anybody read any more about this.....like why the sick SOB did it?
Posts: 9,512